A trained welder who tried to use an oxyacetylene torch to break into a Tumwater credit union and steal from an ATM was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 66 months in prison, U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced in a news release.
Randall Taufete’e, 34, pleaded guilty to arson and attempted larceny of a federally insured credit union on March 15.
At Monday’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle said, “Arson is an extremely serious offense. It destroys property and risks harm to the lives of others, including firefighters. You’re fortunate you didn’t set the entire structure on fire.”
According to records in the case, on Oct. 24, 2022, Tumwater firefighters responded to a fire alarm at O Bee Credit Union. They observed flames coming from the top of the ATM machine, which was in a wall of the building. The flames were extinguished but smoke had filled the building. Following the fire, investigators found char and pry marks on the ATM machine, on the night deposit box, the drive-thru window and an exterior door. Surveillance video showed two men using a pry bar, an electric saw and an oxyacetylene welder’s torch to try to open the ATM and gain access to the building.
The larceny attempt and arson did $198,018 in damage to the building, according to a Department of Justice news release.
A few days after the fire, Taufete’e was taken into state custody for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Agents then identified Taufete’e as one of the men in the surveillance video, but despite the video and other items linking Taufete’e to the arson, Taufete’e denied being involved.
Taufete’e and codefendant Brandon Ronald Collado were indicted in January 2023. Collado pleaded guilty in June 2023 and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Taufete’e pleaded guilty in March 2024.
In asking for a 92-month sentence, prosecutors noted that Taufete’e has more than a dozen criminal convictions as an adult, running the gamut from theft to assault, to robbery, burglary, and firearms possession.
Taufete’e will be on three years of supervised release following his prison term. He and Collado will be required to pay $198,018 in restitution for the damage to the credit union.
The case was investigated by the Tumwater Police Department with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
